19 min: Everton get their noses in front, capitalising on an error by Wilfried Zaha. He lost possession not too far outside his own penalty area, Walcott took the ball wide of Van Aanholt and then curled in a wonderful cross. It dropped beautifully for Bernard, whose side-footed finish from eight yards could not have been any sweeter.

13 min: Patrick van Aanholt cuts into the Everton penalty area from the right and unleashes a low shot. It takes a wicked deflection off Theo Walcott before hitting the post and going out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.

11 min: Having won the free-kick, Lucas Digne floats the ball in to the penalty from deep, trying to pick out Yerry Mina at the far post. The big Colombian wins the header, but is unable to direct it goalwards.

9 min: James McCarthy is booked for a decidedly robust challenge on Lucas Digne. He slid in and got the ball, but took out the Everton defender in the process. There’s a VAR check to see if the challenge is more deserving of a red, but it remains a booking.

5 min: Everton advance up the pitch with Gylfi Sigurdsson on the ball. The atmosphere at Goodison Park seems remarkably subdued in these early stages, meaning the shouts of the players on the field clearly audible.

2 min: Gary Cahill is caught in possession at the back by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and fouls the Everton striker as he tries to retrieve it. Free-kick for Everton about 30 years from the Palace goal, where Vicente Guaita’s vision is being impaired by the sun in his eyes.

Everton v Crystal Palace is go

1 min: It’s a windy day on Merseyside as play gets under way, with Palace getting the ball rolling. Everton’s players wear their customary home kit of blue shirts, white shorts and white socks. Their visitors wear navy shirts, shorts and socks.

Not long now: The teams make their way out on to the Goodison Park pitch for one of just four top flight games being played this weekend, what with the other 12 top flight teams currently enjoying their winter break. The players go through the last of the pre-match formalities and kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.

Carlo Ancelotti speaks: “We need more of everything,” said Everton’s manager on the subject of his four changes. “More quality, more intensity, more pressure, more concentration. It’s not easy to pick the line-up but I want everyone to be involved and the players accept my decisions. Crystal Palace are a good team with lots of different qualities but we want to focus on our game today. We hope to take the initiative and play a fantastic match.”

Roy Hodgson speaks: Asked if he would pick Vicente Guaita following the goalkeeping error that cost Crystal Palace three points against Sheffield United last week, Roy Hodgson was adamant the Spaniard would start today.

“You don’t drop first-choice goalkeepers because they’ve made one mistake,” he said. “It can happen to anyone. We’re very happy with him and very happy he’s playing today.”

A dejected Vicente Guaita looks sheepish after dropping an Oliver Norwood corner over his own line against Sheffield United last weekend. Photograph: Shaun Brooks/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock

Four changes for Everton ...

While Roy Hodgson names an identical side to the one that lost against Sheffield United last weekend, Carlo Ancelotti has made four changes following his team’s come-from-behind win against Watford.

As previously mentioned, Fabian Delph is suspended and replaced by Morgan Schneiderlin, while Seamus Coleman and Michael Keane come into defence for Djibril Sidibe and Mason Holgate. Alex Iwobi also drops to the bench to make way for Bernard.

Early team news ...

Everton will be without Fabian Delph, who is serving a one-match suspension and will sit this game out on the Naughty Step following his red card against Watford last weekend. Andre Gomes and Jan-Philippe Gbamin are long term absentees, although Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Gomes is nearing a surprisingly early return from the horrific ankle injury he suffered during Everton’s draw with Spurs in November. The midfielder might be fit enough to make Everton’s squad for their match against Arsenal on 23 February.

On loan at Palace from Everton, the Turkish striker Cenk Tosun is ineligible for this game against his parent club, but would have missed out anyway due to a hamstring problem. Centre-back Mamadou Sakho remains sidelined with a hip injury, while left-back Jeffrey Schlupp has a hip injury and has not played since early December.

Fabian Delph is suspended after being sent off during Everton’s 3-2 win over Watford last weekend. Photograph: Matt Bunn/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Match preview ...

Had it not been for the stoppage-time implosion against Newcastle Carlo Ancelotti would be seeking his fourth win in four home matches as Everton manager. Having overseen the club’s first comeback victory in the Premier League for over two years last weekend, however, and with 10 men at Watford, he had no complaints over the response.

Palace lack that momentum, with no wins in 2020, only three victories in the last 17 league games and an underwhelming transfer window fuelling frustration around Selhurst Park, yet only three points separate these sides.

Premier League: Everton v Crystal Palace

The first of today’s two Premier League matches kick off at Goodison Park, where Everton host Crystal Palace in today’s lunchtime fixture. Just three points separate the sides, but Palace will draw level with Everton on 30 points if they can beat them today. Kick-off on Merseyside is at 12.30pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.